Harshitha Samarawickrama

Left-hand batter Harshitha Samarawickrama was hardly 15 when she started playing domestic cricket in Sri Lanka. She began playing with her brother in the backyard before taking it up seriously in school - first at Gothami Balika Vidyalaya and then Anula Vidyalaya. She was known to be an accumulator and a busy top-order batter and impressed in the Under-19 circuit in Sri Lanka. That led to her selection for the T20 World Cup 2016 in India, where she made her international debut as a 17-year-old. But it was not until 2019 that she became a regular.

Samarawickrama idolised Kumar Sangakkara, and that led to the cover drive becoming her favourite shot - one that she generously used in her maiden half-century at a T20 World Cup: against Bangladesh in 2023. It kickstarted a phase where Samarawickrama added consistency to her promise. She averaged over 60 in T20Is in 2023, laying the foundation for a memorable 2024. She led the charge in Sri Lanka's first-ever T20I series win against South Africa. She made 54 not out to clinch the decider and register a come-from-behind series win away from home.

Samarawickrama also starred in Sri Lanka's maiden Asia Cup title, hitting an unbeaten 69 in the final against India. She hit two more T20I fifties on the trot in Ireland to make it three in a row. A few days later, she notched up her first ODI hundred - 105 against Ireland in Belfast - making her only the third woman to have an ODI century in the format for Sri Lanka. This purple patch led to a Women's Caribbean Premier League 2024 contract with Trinbago Knight Riders.